Helsinki, Finland

Sweden to Finland was a hop, skip, and a jump – over night arriving about 10:00 a.m.  But before I get into all those wonderful facts I’ve been sharing, it’s important for you to know that the Finish people like simple things, they don’t like frills, just functionality, and they are nature lovers.  They take walks in the forest if they’re happy, or if they’re sad, or if they’re trying to make a decision, or for just about any reason.  And since their country is 75% forest it makes that behavior easily performed.  Oh, and another purely functional, simple, natural activity is Saturday night saunas.  The country has 5.4 million people and 2.2 million saunas.  (Information courtesy of the tour guide today – over and over and over again.)

Finland is about the size of Montana, has 188,000 lakes (and they don’t count the small ones), 179,000 islands, 250 sunny days per year, 76% Lutherans, a welfare system that provides parents with paid maternity leave until the youngest child is THREE YEARS old, and the historically first ever elected female to a public office.   They have two official languages:  Finish and Swedish.  Both languages are used for everything, including street signs – picture that:  two lines where there should only be one.

The capital of Finland is Helsinki.  Senate Square (seems like every city in Europe has at least one important square) has:

the Lutheran St. Nicholas Cathedral

 Helsinki University Headquarters

And Government  Headquarters – no longer a senate but still the governing units. 

A statue of Alexander II stands in the center as it was his statement that these are the three most important aspects of human existence.

Temppeliaukio Rock Church is another example of the simplicity of which the Finish people are so proud.  It was dug out of solid rock.  The interior walls are solid rock and the ceiling is built in such a way as to let in all the natural light which casts beams throughout the church.  Once again this picture does not do it justice.  I guess you’ll just have to go there.